课文内容

词汇：Feet 脚

Many believe high heels make women look good. It's no surprise that the Cannes Film Festival's organisers seem to favour having stars walking up the red carpet in them. But all this glam comes at a cost: wearing heels over 10cm high can damage your ankles.

许多人认为高跟鞋让女人看起来更漂亮。毫不奇怪，戛纳电影节的组织者似乎喜欢让明星们穿着它走上红毯。但这一切都是有代价的:穿10厘米以上的高跟鞋会伤到脚踝。

A study by the Hanseo University in South Korea suggests that continuous wearing exposes women to the risk of strains and makes them prone to losing their balance.

韩国韩西大学的一项研究表明，持续穿着会使女性面临紧张的风险，并使她们容易失去平衡。

A total of 40 women who wear high heels at least three times a week took part in the study. The strength of their ankles was measured regularly and two of the four main muscles became dominant after a period of between one and three years. It created an imbalance in their feet.

总共有40名女性参加了这项研究，她们每周至少穿三次高跟鞋。他们定期测量脚踝的力量，在一到三年后，四块主要肌肉中的两块变得占主导地位。这使他们的脚不平衡。

Dr Yong-Seok Jee from Hanseo University said that the habit of wearing heels can result in deformed feet, back pain and unhealthy walking patterns. He recommends women limit the use of these kinds of shoes and exercise their ankle muscles properly.

韩西大学的池永石博士说，穿高跟鞋的习惯会导致脚变形、背部疼痛和不健康的走路方式。他建议女性少穿这类鞋子，适当锻炼脚踝肌肉。

High heels are considered by some sexy and feminine, but ironically the fashion started with men's feet. These shoes were a form of riding footwear, and would be seen on the feet of 17th Century Persian soldiers. Elizabeth Semmelhack of the Bata Shoe Museum in Toronto says: "When the soldier stood up in his stirrups, the heel helped him to secure his stance so that he could shoot his bow and arrow more effectively."

高跟鞋被一些人认为是性感和女性化的，但讽刺的是，这种时尚始于男人的脚。这种鞋是一种骑马用的鞋，在17世纪的波斯士兵的脚上可以看到。多伦多巴塔鞋博物馆的伊丽莎白·塞梅尔哈克说:“当士兵站在马镫上时，脚后跟帮助他保持姿势，这样他就能更有效地射箭。”

Before becoming a staple of modern women's wardrobes, high heels were used by Louis XIV of France. These shoes were status symbols. Let's face it - nothing screams privilege like uncomfortable, luxurious and impractical clothing. They say the wearer doesn't have to work in fields or walk very far.

高跟鞋在成为现代女性衣橱里的必需品之前，是法国的路易十四穿的。这些鞋子是身份的象征。让我们面对现实吧——没有什么比不舒服、奢华和不切实际的衣服更能体现特权了。他们说，佩戴者不需要在地里干活，也不需要走很远的路。

What do you think: are high heels a symbol of women's elevation in society or just something to be booted out of fashion?

你怎么看:高跟鞋是女性社会地位提升的象征，还是一种被淘汰的时尚?

词汇表

glam （口语）魅力
an ankle 脚踝
a strain 扭伤，拉伤
to be prone (to something) 易于…的
balance 平衡
a muscle 肌肉
an imbalance 不平衡
to be deformed 变形的，畸形的
footwear 鞋类（总称）
a stirrup 马镫
impractical 不实用的
to boot out 赶出去，赶走

测验与练习

1. 阅读课文并回答问题。

1. How high are the heels that can cause injury to feet, according to the study?
2. What makes high heel wearers prone to losing balance?  
3. What were high heels used for in the past?
4. According to the article, what made high heel wearers look privileged during Louis XIV's rule?
5. Which word in the text means 'efficiently'?

2. 请你在不参考课文的情况下完成下列练习。选择一个意思合适的单词填入句子的空格处。

1. These trainers are perfect for the gym but they are __________. Maybe I could try a bigger size.

impractical                  uncomfortable               imbalanced              footwear

2. Rice and beans are __________ foods in Brazil. Most people eat them several times a week.

privileged                     habit                             staple                      continuous

3. I must go to the doctor. I can hardly sit down. I have __________ pain.

an unhealthy                 back                             ankle                       strains

4. I don't care if nobody uses hair nets anymore. I'm in the __________ of wearing them and it won't change!

trend                          habit                              fashion                     regular

5. I miss my mother. She has always been the __________ force in my life.

strong                          dominant                       deformed                 balanced

答案

1. 阅读课文并回答问题。

1. How high are the heels that can cause injury to feet, according to the study?
10cm or more.

2. What makes high heel wearers prone to losing balance?
Two of the four main muscles on their feet become dominant and it disrupts their walking.  

3. What were high heels used for in the past?
Riding.

4. According to the article, what made high heel wearers look privileged during Louis XIV's rule?
They are not practical and it shows the wearer doesn't do hard work and doesn't have to walk much.

5. Which word in the text means 'efficiently'?
Effectively.

2. 请你在不参考课文的情况下完成下列练习。选择一个意思合适的单词填入句子的空格处。

1. These trainers are perfect for the gym but they are uncomfortable. Maybe I could try a bigger size.

2. Rice and beans are staple foods in Brazil. Most people eat them several times a week.

3. I must go to the doctor. I can hardly sit down. I have back pain.

4. I don't care if nobody uses hair nets anymore. I'm in the habit of wearing them and it won't change!

5. I miss my mother. She has always been the dominant force in my life.

文章来源BBC，侵权删，本文仅用于英语学习。